FateRESPAWN
by Pen-Magician
Summary: Magic is a living force; it grows, it feeds... it evolves. As our world spirals deeper into the digital age, so too does magic evolve to keep up. Spells have changed, rules have changed, even the very foundations of mana have been altered as magic has morphed into something new. Out of all of these things, however, one deadly tradition has changed the most: The Holy Grail War.
1. LEVEL 1 - A BROKEN SWORD

**LEVEL 1 – A BROKEN SWORD**

* * *

The moon shone full and bright, filtering through the old glass panes above him like water through a fine mesh sieve. The only other source of light around him was the bright glow of his tablet screen, resting upright on the cracked floor he rested on. He raised his can of soft drink into the air, bringing it to his lips and draining the rest of it. He crushed it with a firm flex of his finger muscles, and tossed it aside. The air tasted almost as sweet.

"You there, Saber? Beautiful night, isn't it?" _Beautiful indeed, _he thought to himself. _Perfect for an execution or two._

"Ready and in position, master. But… are you sure you want me all the way…"

"You just sit tight and wait for my mark, Saber. Caster and his master won't know what hit 'em" he smirked, stretching out his other hand. The second his finger came in contact with the hard glass screen of his tablet, a hard-red pulse exploded from the point of contact, making only the slightest sound. The ripple of magical energy flowed out of the electronic device and onto the floor below, over his body, then the crushed can beside him, and then passed even farther out of his field of vision. He knew it would take but a minute for the bounded field to completely close the four of them off.

"I just felt your magecraft go off, master. I presume we are starting?" Saber asked from within his mind, talking clearly despite being buildings away.

"Indeed, we are," Laurence Bellings spoke cockily as he rose to his feet slowly. As he stood up, he scooped his tablet up as well, closing the app that had set up the field and opening a new one; one that his family of mages had developed. His specialty. "Wait until I make contact with Caster's master. Knowing he's a third-rate magus, it'll be easy to destroy him instantly. It's a shame, though… I'd really like to harvest his magic circuits for my drones…"

"We mustn't underestimate them, master. We have no idea who or what Caster is capable of." Saber voiced with slight concern in his voice. Laurence chuckled softly to himself, but knew his servant was right. With two simple taps, he sent his magical energy through the screen and out into the open air. His drones would respond accordingly, he knew. 12 of them were circled around the entirety of the abandoned Farmwood Hospital. In only a minute or so, he'd have complete control over the battlefield, and Saber would be free to deal with Caster.

"Don't worry, Saber. I'll be careful. Now… commencing operation!" He set off like a bullet, flying down the hallway like a sprinter on the track. As he ran, he slipped his tablet into his bag and pulled out a more discreet tool: a wireless clicker. Normally, a mere citizen would use this to flip through songs on a playlist, or slides on a presentation. But not Laurence. He was a magus. The Bellings family had taken to magics latest faze with grace; they quickly adapted to the new rules and, as such, continued to develop their magecraft and magic circuits well into the digital age. Laurence was the new head of his family, despite only being 24, and had adapted much more than his father and his father before him. As his feet continued to push him forward, he felt his magic crest burning on his left bicep. He would take all of his family's knowledge, experience and struggles to their very end and win this war.

The Seventeenth Holy Grail War.

"I'm almost at the entrance. Saber, I need you to-" A sickening wave of nausea blasted into him like a truck, grinding him to a halt. His vision greyed and blurred as his balance faltered and nearly failed him. His bag slipped off his shoulder and crashed against the ground, filling the empty hall with a deafening noise. He clutched the side of his head and waited for a few moments for the feeling to wash away.

"Master!? What has happened?!" Saber shouted inside his head. Despite the feeling of slight panic, Laurence smirked nervously.

"Bastard… He tore through my field like butter…" Laurence straightened himself and looked towards the door only a few meters ahead. He gripped his clicker tightly and continued on, glaring at his path forward. "Caster has escaped, Saber. Pursue him, whoever he is. I'll deal with his master."

"Understood, master. Do not hesitate to use a Command Seal to summon me if you need to."

"Don't worry," The man spoke with grit. "I'll kill this kid dead." With a mighty push, he threw open both doors. Moonlight immediately hit him and filled his vision as he stepped out into the cool summer air. Surprisingly, he needn't look for his target; they were waiting for him, directly across the field under a broken-down arch.

"Your Servant surprised me!" Laurence shouted, throwing his arms wide. "Not anyone can destroy a bounded field just like that. He even took out two of my drones!" The figure across from him didn't move or speak. They simply observed. For some reason he didn't quite understand, that made Laurence quite angry.

"Make your Servant kill itself and run, boy. If you want to live, I recommend you listen to those words." Again, no sound or movement. The figure stayed still, silent as a shrew. With an angry scowl and the flick of his wrist and clicker, he began an incantation.

"_Bytes become one and pixels spread its might! Eix elvenir throva!" _He could feel the words thicken in his throat, becoming solid magical force. It spread down his body, through his arm and into his clicker. It then exploded outward, as a purple, spear-like bolt formed from his gadget and exploded outwards. Before he could even see the dust cloud form, he heard the splintering booms and cracks of an old, cement arch crumbling to dust in the impact. _Direct hit._

"You know, I almost feel bad killing a kid," Laurence boasted as the dust cloud and rubble settled. "But then I remember what I'm here to do. Sorry, but no moral clause or guilt will stop me from attaining the Grail. Alright Saber, I'm finished here. How about you?"

_Silence._

_Silence._

_Infuriating, rage inducing silence._

"HEY!" He shouted, ripping his phone from his pocket. "Answer me, Sa-" His phone screen seemed normal, to the average viewer. But of course, he was a magus. And what he saw rattled him to his core and almost broke his mental fortitude in an instant. Not a single Command Seal was displayed on the screen. Not one. As far as the rules concerned, he was no longer a master in the war. But that would mean-

"Game over, asshole." The voice, uncomfortably close, came from behind and was accompanied by a firm grasp on his shoulder. "Enjoy dying."

And then, he was somewhere else.

Falling over from the sudden shock, he placed his hands firmly on the grass. _Grass? _He was in a hospital plaza. Where was he now?

"Damnit Damnit DAMNIT! Useless Saber servant! The strongest class my ass! I need to-" He reached for the bag that wasn't there. _I dropped it in the hospital. _His million-dollar drones were useless to him now.

"DAMNIT!" He wailed into the dirt, as he realized everything was falling apart. _That bloody kid. He's messing with me. I'm going to find him and I'm going to rip out his-_

A single, black feather fell from above and landed directly in front of him.

He froze. He stared at it for a time he could not calculate, a period in which he did not now the length of. His heart was beating faster and faster, his hands sweating so much his clicker slipped out and landed on the grass beside him. Finally, his vision was ripped away from the feather and onto the weapon that failed to kill his enemy. In its smooth, silvery reflection, he saw a shadow slowly getting bigger. He shot his glance upwards with a gasp.

The last thing he saw before the long, slender blade slid right through his forehead were piercing green eyes that seemed to swallow everything in the world.


	2. LEVEL 2 - AWAKENING

**LEVEL 2 – AWAKENING**

* * *

_I am a blade, war given form._

_The battlefield was hellish. The ground was littered with weapons, bodies and scrap metal. Screams would blend in with gunfire, sword clashes and artillery to form a symphony of misery. The sky was full of smoke, blotting out the sunlight. I couldn't breath. _

_And yet, I walked on. I could not stop. I held her life in my hands, as she did mine._

_So, I walked on._

_We walked on, together._

_For the last time._

_I am a blade._

_A cold blade named…_

**…**

His eyes cracked open slowly, revealing his blurry hand beside his face. The soft hum of his fan surrounded him, attempting to lull him back to slumber with its calming rhythm. Alas, it wasn't mean to be. The boy sat up slowly from his bent over position, hearing his spine and elbows creak as he stretched them out. A colossal yawn escaped his maw like a bat out of hell, followed by a violent coughing fit. _Still a bit sick, it seems. _When he was done hacking up a lung, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and blinked his vison back to normal.

He had fallen asleep at his desk again, stylus in hand. Before him was the bright screen of his monitor, still displaying the model he was messing around with. He couldn't remember what he though of it when he started last night when the moon was full in the sky, but looking at in now with the sun up, he decided he hated it. Sighing, he saved the file and closed the program with a few flicks of his mouse. After that, he promptly shut his PC off with dissatisfied grunt. Scooping up his tablet and stylus, he lazily stood up, and walked to his shelf. He didn't need to look at the clock or his phone to know the time. He could hear his roommate flying around outside, talking to himself with panic in his voice. It seemed they were both late again. As he returned the equipment back to its place, he stumbled towards the door to his room, yanking it open with an unclear anger flowing through him.

"What a stupid dream."

**…**

She came across the blood-soaked patch of grass early in the morning; the sun had just peaked above the horizon not 20 minutes ago. The blood was dry, giving the foliage it covered a brown, rust like look. There was no body.

"I can't believe it…" She softly mused to herself, spinning the USB between her fingers. "Not once in the history of the Grail War has Saber fallen first…"

As if on cue, a smashed drone fell from the sky beside her. Two azure, phantom like spears were lodged in the machine, drawing sparks and oil from it like lifeblood. _And so, the last creation joins the creator._

"That was all of them." Suddenly, the spears were ripped free from the machine with violent force, completely obliterating what was left of it. The two ghostly spears flew past the girl with blinding speed and landed in the hands of the culprit of the previous, haunting voice.

A blue skinned female knight, lanky and muscular, crushed the two spears within her hands. The spirit like energy then returned to her body, passing through her black armour and sinking into her ghostly flesh. The Servant eyed her master with intrigue, waiting for a response. April smiled.

"Excellent work, Lancer. This area should be safe again." She once again eyed the bloodied patch of earth and frowned. "Someone who set up a bounded field like this was obviously not worried about civilian casualties."

"Should they have been?" her Servants voice had a slight echo effect to it, making each sentence she spoke sound ominous. Of course, April Vanswalth had already gotten used to it. She hoped her enemies would not.

"What does that mean?" April asked, turning to fully face the wraith-like spearswoman.

"Is it not true that mages and servants alike must eliminate witnesses to the war? Setting up drones around the perimeter of the bounded field to not only scout for enemies but eliminate other intruders seems as though the perpetrator was planning ahead."

"Planning ahead, huh?" April scoffed, squeezing the USB tightly in her hand. "Well, look what that got him. A blade through the body on the first fight in the war." The ground was razed with a slight stab mark that could only be caused by a sword, a long and thin one at that. However…

"You can sense the magical energy, correct?" April asked her servant. Lancer nodded, but did not reply. She picked up the question herself. "There's too much magical residue in the air for any other servant but Caster. And yet… a blade? I have heard stories of another Caster using an axe in a previous war, but it was more of a catalyst to their spells… perhaps it's the same this time around…?"

"Whatever the case may be, Master, it seems as though Caster will be a major threat in future fights." Lancer stated, walking up to her. Her Servant towered over her by a head and a half, but April kept eye contact regardless. "It may not be the best strategy to go after them right away. We might want to wait until they engage in-"

"Relax, Lancer, that's not why we're here." April reaffirmed her, spinning on her heels and walking towards the blood stain yet again. "Now… let's get this show on the road."

Gripping the USB in her hand, she brought it to her forehead and began the incantation.

_"Eiz whalen carabir…Saln shizen farmog… DAISELSH!"_

With a mighty toss, she sent the USB soaring into the air. Higher it went, higher and higher… until it exploded in green, magical energy that sent a shockwave throughout the sky. The force of it made her stagger backwards; Lancer didn't flinch.

"Ha ha HA!" April exclaimed loudly, throwing her hands up in the air. "That'll get their attention, all right!"

"Attention?" Lancer asked, slightly concerned. April turned to her companion with a smirk.

"Granted, Assassin and Archer haven't been summoned yet, but that blast will shake every master and servant in the city!" she began, as her smile morphed from one of glee into malice. "Especially _him__._"

"A declaration of war, then." Lancer pondered.

"The war has already started," April stated. "This is just me lighting a fire under their asses." Lancer was silent for a long while after that, simply staring into her master's eyes with her glowing, pupiless ones. April broke the silence. "What, got a problem with my methods?"

"Not in the slightest." The ghostly knight spoke, outstretching her arms. Another blue spear formed in her grasp, and she thrust it into the dirt under them. "I am bound to this war, and you. As long as you supply me with mana and what has been promised, I will win you the Grail… and your revenge."

**…**

His eyes went wide as a sense of sudden pain and nausea rattled him from head to toe. He stopped his sprint and bent over, gasping for air. His phone burned in his pocket, like it was on fire.

_Magic._

"Adrian, come ON!" his roommate was now well ahead of him, almost at the college's front entrance. "We're already late! We're gonna miss the presentation!"

"Yeah, hold on, I'm coming!" He shouted back, regaining his composure. Something he couldn't exactly pinpoint told him that the day was going to suck.

* * *

**WAR STATS**

Master: Laurence Bellings (DEAD) / Servant: ? - Saber (DEAD)

Master: April Vanswalth / Servant: ? - Lancer

Master: ? / Servant: ? - Caster

Master: ? / Servant: ? - Rider

Master: ? / Servant: ? - Berserker

Master: ? / Servant: ? - Assassin (Not Summoned)

Master: ? / Servant: ? - Archer (Not Summoned)


End file.
